Come on Down!
by Old Man Panda
Summary: Bengal Tiger, come on down!


Legal stuff: Shadowcat, Jubilee, Iceman and Nightcrawler belong to Marvel Comics. Veronica belongs to Kender, Bob Barker and Rod Roddy belong to themselves, The Price is Right belongs to CBS and Bengal Tiger belongs to Broadsword comics. Please don't sue all I have is this computer that I'm still paying for and my car which doesn't even work, so there is no point to sue me. I would rate this PG. This is the fifth in my Bengal Tiger chronicles. The order to read these are Slumber Party, Tears in Heave, Torn, Holidays, Come on Down, Keep Away From Extreme Cold, Staring Contest, and Faith, Heart, and Skill. Hope you enjoy. 

Come on down Panda-kun 

"Kat remind me again why we are here," John Smith (also know as the X-man Bengal Tiger) asked his girlfriend as they sat in a familiar studio audience. 

"Because you are the one who shot his mouth off while visiting the School and asked Jubilee here if she wanted to come to LA with you," Kitty Pryde shot back, almost as annoyed as her boyfriend. 

'Hey, hey I'm sittin right here! Jeez, talking like I'm not here. John asked so I jumped. I needed a good trip to So Cal with all the stuff with Emma's sister. And another thing Pryde! You said you two should make the best of it. You're the one who asks me what I wanted to do. Sue me if this something I have wanted to do since I was a kid," Jubilee said with a big grin. 

"But this, The Price is Right? Jube's your not even old enough to be a contestant," Kitty said hoping to be able to escape before the show started. 

"In fact we had to lie about your age just to get you in," John added. 

"So, one of you two could be called up. Anyway the price of the tickets were right," Jubilee said with an evil glint in her eyes. 

Both John and Kitty groaned at the bad joke 

"Well at least Lockheed is spared the horror of what is coming up," Kitty said, as the show was just about to start. 

The show started like the thousands of times it had before. Rod Roddy called down for lucky people to be contestants on today's show. All of them hope not to be one of the contestants not appearing on stage. Bob Barker came out. His ever-present smile showed brightly as he asked the contestants to bid on the first prize. It was a new barbecue. A guy going to UCLA was the winner of this round and came up on stage. John and Kitty communicated their mutual boredom to each other through the psi-link that Emma had set up. The student failed to guess the price of a crib, a couch and a vacuum cleaner. No big loss John decided. A collage student didn't have much need for those things. 

Bob came back to contestants roll and ask Rod to find a new contestant. Rod said he sure would. Then Rod called the new contestant. 

"John Smith, come on down! You're the next contestant on the Price is Right!" 

John froze. The crowd begins to clap. Then he realized that Kitty was forcing him up. "Go get 'em Tiger," Kitty said trying to control her laughter. "No way! The big guy got called how cool," Jubilee said with a look of surprise. 

When most people are called down to contestants roll they jump, scream and carry on. John on the other hand looked like a convicted man going to the chair. 

Bob looked surprised at the amount of time it took John to come on down. "You know Rod I think that's the longest time anyone has ever taken to come down here," Bob said with a confused smile. 

The models brought out the next prize to bid on. It was a telescope. Rod went on about its wonderful features. John sighed to himself. If he wanted to use a telescope he would go visit Reed. John had no idea how much a telescope cost so he guessed. It turned out he bid under by three hundred dollars. He took his seat with the other three contestants and waited for the next round. 

(Come on Smith! You can do better for that. If you don't win something do you know how much crap you will take from everyone back home,) Kitty asked through their mindlink. 

That was a thought that had yet to cross his mind. Everyone at the mansion watching this. He could see them, Kurt, Bobby, and Ronnie, sitting there replaying it over and over. He would never, ever live this down. If he lost it will be even worse. 

The elderly lady who went up won herself a trip to Seattle. John smiled. Well, considering he was born there and his company is based there he didn't feel to bad not winning that. He could feel his intensity rising. The same drive to win that made him crash a slumber party three years ago just to show the girls he could sing. 

They had gone to commercial after the lady won her trip. Now they were about to come back. John took his place with the other contestants. Bob came back, the smile still on his face. 

"Now before we call the next contestant down, Rod says we have something of a celebrity in contestants roll. Isn't that right," Bob asked the longtime announcer. 

John's face went white as a sheet. (How did they know? There must be a ton of John Smith's in the world,) he thought to himself. 

Then he heard the sound of a woman laughing in his head and it all became clear. 

(Kat, you didn't please tell me you didn't!) John asked Kitty desperately. 

(No I didn't. Hehehe. But Jubilee did) Kitty said. 

John didn't have a chance to respond before Rod answered Bob's question. 

"Right you are Bob. A little bird told me that the John Smith we have in contestant's roll is none other than the John Smith who owns Bio-Technic." 

"What brings you to The Price is Right John," Bob asked. 

"Brought a young friend who is a big fan Bob," John said while planing elaborate revenge against Jubilee. 

"Well that's great. Rod what's our next prize up for bid," Bob asked. 

"Why this beautiful gold watch," Rod said going on to describe the watch in detail. 

John was excited. He had seen the same watch while Christmas shopping last year. It was seven hundred and forty five dollars. Photographic memory could be so wonderful sometimes. 

John was the last one to enter his bid. After he did a sound was heard. 

"That means one of you got the exact price. And that person is the one that bid, seven hundred and forty five dollars! John you're a winner," Bob exclaimed to an excited John. 

Bob pulled a bill out of his pocket as John met him up on stage. 

"Bob, I just want to tell you and the audience that anything I win today will be donated to my favorite charity," John said taking the bill. 

"Really John that's wonderful. What charity is that," Bob asked. 

"The Smith Foundation for Children. It helps recently orphaned children with counseling and placement in good foster families if needed," John said. 

"That sounds like a great cause. And with luck you will be making a donation with..." Bob said waiting for Rod to announce the next game. 

"Up to ten thousand dollars, when you play on our punchboard!" Rod exclaimed. 

Bob showed John three items that he had to choose the correct price for to gain punches. John smiled as he realized that he had just purchased for them mansion. He quickly guessed all three prices. 

"That's impressive John. Most people would have thought a big C.E.O. wouldn't know the price of things like a coffee maker," Bob said with a smile. 

"Well Bob I work at a school. Trust me you know how much a coffee maker costs," John said. 

(Especially since you had to buy two. One for us and one for Cable when he visits. I never knew someone could be so overprotective of a coffee maker,) Kitty added in John's head. 

John followed Bob to the punchboard. John made four punches on the board. 

Bob walked to the first and pulled the piece a paper with the prize out. 

"Now John how much would you be willing to settle for," 

"Hmmm at least a thousand Bob. Those kids need all the help they can get," John said beginning to get a little nervous. 

"Well John... it looks like those children will get a lot of help with the ten thousand dollars you just won," Bob exclaimed. 

John leapt in the air pumping his fist and shouting, "Oh yeah!" 

As they went to commercial John was lead to the big wheel. He felt confident. The wheel seemed to be a test of skill and strength. Two things John felt he had a lot of. 

After coming back from commercial break Bob explained the rules of the Big Wheel. John paid little attention. The collage student was first. He gave the wheel a big spin. After several revolutions around it finally landed on eighty cents. 

(Difficult but not impossible to beat,) John decided that as the elderly lady took her turn. 

She gave the wheel the hardest spin she could. John watched as it went around once. Then he, and everyone else, realized it had a good chance of hitting a dollar. I got closer and closer as the wheel went slower and slower, and landed on a dollar. Sound effects went off as a sign of the woman's accomplishment. John sighed, as it became his turn. 

(Okay this could be a little more challenging.) John thought as he took his place. 

Trying to control his strength John gave the wheel a mighty spin. After its fifth revolution it began to slow and finally came to rest on eighty cents. 

"Well John looks like you have to spin again. You need twenty cents," Bob said. 

John again gave the wheel a big turn. Around and around it went. John held his breath as it began to slow down. It came to rest on twenty-five cents. 

"I'm sorry John but your over. Irene is our winner and will go onto the showcase showdown. Well be right back with the second half of the Price is Right," Bob said as they went to commercial. 

The rest of the day went by quickly. After the show John made Jubilee and Kitty swear they would tell no one about what had happened. The both agreed. The trip continued and ended without anything else as exciting. 

Four months later: 

John was awoken one Wednesday morning by the familiar smell of brimstone. 

"Kurt go away! I was up till four this morning working on a deal for BioTechnic. I don't care if Magneto has taken over Toys 'R' Us, I'm getting a few more hours of sleep," John said as he through a pillow at his old friend. 

"Hmmm, well John if that is what you want mien freund. Everyone was hoping you would come on down," Kurt exclaimed as he teleported away. 

John sat up quickly. 

"Oh God no! How did they find out? If it was the firecracker she is so dead," John said as he through some clothes on and raced down stairs. 

As he got to the living room his worst fears were realized. John saw four VCR's hooked up to the television that was showing CBS's long running gameshow. 

"Hiya Sweetpea, we were worried that the guest of honor would sleep through this," Veronica said with a look of unhidden glee in her eyes. 

"Smith I promise they didn't hear it from me! It was on Entertainment Tonight," Jubilee responded to John's unanswered question. 

John forced himself a seat on the couch in-between Kurt and Kitty. 

"Well if I'm going to look like an idiot I might as well enjoy it," John said putting his arm around Kitty. 

"I'm glad you think that John. Because were gonna put the image of you in contestants roll on the institutes Christmas card," Bobby Drake informed John. 

"Your dead Drake," John said as he leapt at Iceman. 

The sound of laughter filled the institute. 


End file.
